Goo Hye-sun’s Profile
- Birth name: Goo Hye-Sun (구혜선)
- Birthday: November 9, 1984
- Zodiac sign: Scorpio
- Instagram: @kookoo900
Goo Hye-sun’s Career
- Acting
Born in 1984, Goo Hye-sun entered the entertainment industry in 2002, appearing in music videos for prominent singers. Thanks to her beauty, she soon gained popularity with the 2006 drama “Pure in Heart” and impressed critics with her performance in the historical series “The King and I”. However, as she took on more roles, her acting began to face increasing criticism.
In 2009, Goo Hye-sun’s life and career took a major turn when she starred in “Boys Over Flowers”, a hit drama that remains her most successful project to date. She earned the nickname “Geum Jan-di” (the character’s name) and even shared in 2021 that she had lived comfortably for 12 years and could do whatever she wanted thanks to the earnings from “Boys Over Flowers”.
Following her “Boys Over Flowers” success, Goo Hye-sun continued to take on new projects, showing her versatility by working as a screenwriter, director, and musician. However, she struggled to escape the shadow of her iconic role as Geum Jan-di, and her acting received increasing criticism for being stiff. She was even labeled a “rating poison” as many of her later dramas flopped.
In 2017, she appeared in “You’re Too Much”, but after just six episodes, she withdrew due to health reasons, leaving the production team in a bind. Despite her reason, she faced heavy criticism for negatively impacting the whole team. In 2019, she announced her retirement, making “You’re Too Much” her last drama (excluding her self-produced short films). Despite her retirement announcement, she continued producing films and music videos, confusing the public. Over the past two years, she has attracted attention for her studies in film and acting, but no official return to acting has been confirmed.
- Directing
Alongside acting, Goo Hye-sun was rather active as a director.
In fact, Goo Hye-sun actually made her directing debut via the short film “The Madonna”, followed by projects like feature-length films “Magic”, “The Peach Tree”, “Daughter”, and short films like “You” ,“Fragments of Sweet Memories”, “Dark Yellow”, and so on.
She even directed a short film for Samsung Galaxy S4 and was invited as a jury for the 9th Jecheon International Music and Film Festival and the Chunsa Film Art Awards 2022 Film Festival.
Some of her films received awards and were invited to major film festivals, including the Busan International Film Festival for “Daughter”.
- Other ventures
Aside from her acting and directional works, Goo Hye-sun participates in a wide range of projects, including writing and drawing as well as ambassador activities.
In 2009, Goo Hye-sun published the novel “Tango”, which became a best-seller with over 30,000 copies sold in a week of release.
Goo Hye-sun also held various art exhibitions, drawing praise for her impressive art skills.
Goo Hye-sun’s Personal life & Controversies
- Marriage & Divorce
Goo Hye-sun met her ex-husband Ahn Jae-hyun through acting in “Blood”. The couple quickly fell in love, and within a short time, they got married. Everything seemed to happen so fast that many believed they were destined for each other. However, their divorce came just as quickly, with Goo Hye-sun publicly accusing her ex-husband, leading to a bitter separation.
At the time, Goo Hye-sun made continuous public statements about her ex-husband, sharing text messages and accusations, claiming Ahn Jae-hyun drank excessively and was close to other women. Initially, the public sympathized with her, but the tide quickly turned as she failed to provide solid evidence. Her constant complaints led many to criticize her for playing the victim and ruining her ex-husband’s career. The situation escalated in September 2019 when Ahn Jae-hyun filed a lawsuit against her, stating that the “truth had been distorted by her one-sided claims on social media.”
- Other issues
After 7 years without a major acting project, Goo Hye-sun appeared on a major tvN show, shocking viewers by revealing that she lived out of her car while studying. She explained that after spending most of her assets, she was left without a home, though she could still stay with her mother in Incheon. However, the long commute made it necessary for her to sleep in her car or the library during critical school days.
A day after this shocking revelation, Goo Hye-sun made another surprising statement, clarifying that she had recently used her savings to build a house near her school, bought homes for her family members, and was preparing for graduate school. This raised more questions from the public, as many wondered how she could afford all these ventures when she hadn’t taken on any major acting roles in years. It seems that her earnings from “Boys Over Flowers” have still not run out.
Most recently, Goo Hye-sun mentioned her health issues, which caused her to withdraw from a drama, drawing sympathy from viewers.
- Studies
Nowadays, Goo Hye-sun has not only been diligently studying film, but also impressed netizens as she was admitted to one of Korea’s most prestigious schools – KAIST, as a graduate student.
According to Goo Hye-sun’s update, she is studying Science Journalism at the age of 39.
